How to Ignore Conventional School Wisdom

     In the last post I wrote that conventional school is a desperate-creative-suck that kills schools and classrooms. It's the culture in conventional schools that expect new ideas to fail. I'm writing this to remind myself (as well as you) to not believe conventional school wisdom as it is just excuses. I'm tired of educators making excuses.

Here's a short list to remember how to ignore conventional school:

1. Listen to my PLN (Personal Learning Network) -found mostly on twitter. I'm @cscottsy  or +Chris Scott on Google+
2. Leave meetings and conversations that become negative. All too often the negativity is about other educators or students. No more!
3. Choose to share positives about my classroom and students' work and NOT share negatives. 
4. When another says "good luck with those students" or "you just wait, you'll see" I won't believe them.
5. Share my students work and the work of other students -even if they don't believe me. It doesn't matter since I decided to stop believing them.
6. Keep trying. Continue pushing. Never stop.
7. Just because other teachers can't hack it with students doesn't mean you can't. If other teachers can't lead a project with their students or create a 21st century school culture that has nothing to do with you.
8. Remember my successes.

Sounds simple, yet when we hear the wisdom of conventional school on a regular basis it becomes increasing hard to ignore.



Thanks for reading and your patience,

Chris Scott
805-215-8864
cscottsy@gmail.com
@cscottsy -twitter